Episode: KPN 12-10-2025 

UN Conference calls for urgent action to protect Rohingya and minorities in Myanmar

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P) released its latest Atrocity Alert on 09 October, highlighting urgent global crises, including the worsening situation in Myanmar.

The text of the alert is as follows.

On 30 September the UN General Assembly held a High-Level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar. During the conference, member states and representatives of the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pressed for immediate measures to end the commission of atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar and guarantee accountability. In his address, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, warned that for Rohingya still remaining in Myanmar following the genocide in 2017, the situation has only worsened. “Discrimination, the burning of their villages, the exclusion from work and services, the continuous denial of their very identity. The Rohingyas live with the threat of arbitrary arrest and detention, with restricted access to healthcare and education. They cannot move freely. They are subjected to forced labor and forced recruitment. Their lives are defined everyday by racism and fear.”

While the conference refocused international attention, it also exposed persistent inertia that has defined international engagement on Myanmar. Wai Wai Nu, Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Peace Network, said to the conference participants, “You already have the evidence. You already have the power. What is missing is the political will. The people of Myanmar demand accountability, an end to impunity, and an end to oppression. Let this conference be a historic turning point– the end of missed opportunities, and the beginning of lasting solutions.”

Despite several states making new financial pledges to the over 900,000 Rohingya in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh, gaps remain in the provision of lifesaving aid. Voluntary repatriation remains a central focus of discussions on Rohingya refugees, yet the current situation in Rakhine State, and across Myanmar, fails to provide the necessary security guarantees. The absence of accountability and lack of willingness to allow the Rohingya equal participation and protection under the law also inhibits the repatriation process, as the military leaders in charge of orchestrating the genocide in 2017, namely General Min Aung Hlaing, remain in control of the country today.

The 2021 military coup in Myanmar has compounded this violence and deepened fragmentation across the country, entrenching the junta’s control over key institutions. Since the coup, at least 7,328 people have been killed while 3.3 million are internally displaced and 21 million remain in need of aid. The junta has announced plans for elections to be held beginning in December despite its lack of control over a majority of the country. The junta has already ruled out voting in 121 constituencies due to security concerns, excluding many members of minority populations from the vote.

While last week’s conference is a welcome step, timely action is necessary to utilize momentum and make real progress for the Rohingya and other minority populations. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect Myanmar expert, Sarah Hunter, said, “Member states must commit to fully funding response plans for Rohingya refugees, including through providing opportunities to regain livelihoods, access to education and other opportunities. Member states must also continue isolating the junta, especially ahead of elections, to ensure the legitimacy sought by the junta is not won.”

Tagged as: Bangadesh refugee camp,  Teknaf,  ration cut,  BGP,  Burma-Bangladesh border,  Arakan,  RSO,  Buthidaung,  BGB,  Burma,  Malaysia going boat,  IDP camp in Arakan,  Arakan Army,  Myanmar,  Military navy,  Kutupalong,  Cox's Bazar,  Rohingya boat people,  Maungdaw,  Military Council force,  Rakhine,  IIMM,  Rathedaung,  ARSA,  Rohingya,  war crimes,  Rohingya Refugee,  Camp schools,  Akyab,  Rohingya refugee camp,  community schools,  APBn,  RRRC,  foods shortage,  Balukhali,  Sittwe,  hungers.